There is no “silver bullet” for solving the severe talent gap challenging the manufacturing industry, so employers must prepare to radically disrupt how they look at “capability,” an umbrella term for the skills, competencies, and talent supply across the sector, according to a report from consulting firm Ernst & Young Global Ltd. (EY).
That process will require next-generation skills that serve as foundational building blocks for nurturing organizational transformations and future-fitting talent. Those next-generation skills don’t only include skills of the future, but also those skills that will enable the transformational journey, EY said in a whitepaper titled “How manufacturers should invest beyond adaptive skills to build tomorrow’s workforce.”
The paper said that “adaptive skills,” which enable individuals to transform their abilities as their demands and environment change, are increasingly viewed as the key to addressing this widening skills gap. However, new research also suggests there is no one-size-fits-all approach for manufacturers seeking to revamp their manufacturing and training programs. This means manufacturers need to be prepared to tailor their upskilling strategies to fully realize the transformative benefits.
As many companies recognize that the time has come to elevate this mission as a strategic priority, EY identified four points that summarize the best strategies manufacturers can use to reach those goals:
- Manufacturers need to begin adopting next-generation skills that combine adaptive, digital, technical, and process-related capabilities.
- A critical blend of cross-discipline and role-based enablers creates a "manufacturing T" of capability.
- Skills investments need to be prioritized based on the strategy and transformational needs of manufacturers.
- Reskilling should follow an economic approach that blends skill definitions, assessments, and meaningful learning to make better talent investments.
The research was based on interviews with 19 manufacturing industry leaders across various manufacturing subsectors, including industrial products, chemicals and advanced materials, automotive, life sciences manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, and building materials.
